How to Make the Best Cherry Cobbler

Even though I try to eat well most of the time, every now and again I long for something homemade with the ingredients of the season.  With my husband being a cherry fan, I decide to make this cherry cobbler (and realize I have never made one before). There is something comforting about baking a decadent cherry dessert in the fall, when the weather is starting to cool.

Fresh cherry cobbler

The Recipe

After doing some research on the BEST cherry cobbler recipe,, this one is originally from Cooks Illustrated, an American cooking magazine published every two months by America’s Test Kitchen Limited Partnership in Brookline, Massachusetts.. However, a subscription is required to get the recipe directly from them.

Use sour cherries

Being resourceful, I am able to obtain this same recipe from GroupRecipes.com.

The Ingredients

Canned cherry filling doesn’t do it for me~~way too sweet with an unnatural thick, gelatinous consistency.  However, it is difficult to find fresh fresh sour cherries from the local grocery store.

Image~Shutterstock

The Morello cherry, also known in English as griotte (its French name), is the best-known variety of sour cherries. Since the recipe calls for Morello cherries, Trader Joe’s used to carry them and I understand they have been discontinued. Aldi has them in stock. Walmart has sour cherries, but not Morello.

The ingredients

I would imagine you can substituted sour cherries in this recipe and they can be found here online. However, for this recipe, I did use the ones from Trader Joe’s.

Making the biscuits and syrup

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and then the butter in a food processor. I like my Cuisinart, but if you don’t have one, then use a pastry dough blender and cutter. Add buttermilk until the dough comes together.

Light and fluffy biscuits

The recipe says to use a spring loaded ice cream scoop to measure out the biscuit dough, which I do not have.  A regular ice cream scoop or large spoon will do. Is there anything better than homemade biscuits?

Biscuits done!

While the biscuits bake, make the cherry syrup using the cherry juice, wine, cinnamon stick, sugar, cornstarch and salt.  If you want to minimize the red wine flavor, use less wine or just boil it down longer.  My syrup has a distinct red wine essence, which I really like.  Pour the syrup over the drained cherries.

Delicious cherry syrup with wine

Arrange the biscuits in 3 rows of 4 over the filling.  Bake the cobbler until it is bubbling and the biscuits are golden brown.

Makes 12 servings

Serving it up!

I serve it with freshly made whipped cream (another indulgence!).  If you do not have a whipped cream dispenser, it is a must. Making whipped cream with a dispenser is SO easy.

For an extra kick, you can drizzle it with Chambord, which up until this post I thought was a cherry based liqueur~~it is actually a black raspberry liqueur, but works too!!

Add a drizzle of Chambord

Not only is this a beautiful dessert, but so delicious too. The recipe makes 12 individual servings and is perfect ending to a fall meal.

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Sour Cherry Cobbler

This delicious cobbler has light, fluffy biscuits on a bed of a tart cherries in a rich, wine infused syrup

Biscuits

  • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 6 TBS granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp table salt
  • 6 TBS unsalted butter (cold) cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 TBS granulated sugar for sprinkling

Cherry Filling

  • 4 24 oz. jars Morello cherries, drain, reserve 2 cups juice ((about 8 cups drained cherries))
  • 3/4-1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 TBS cornstarch, plus one teaspoon cornstarch
  • pinch table salt
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 1 3 inch cinnamon stick
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract

  1. Adjust rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. In work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade, pulse flour,6 TBS sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to combine. Scatter butter pieces over and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 15 one-second pulses. Transfer to a medium bowl, add buttermilk and toss with rubber spatula to combine. Using a 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inch spring-loaded ice cream scoop,scoop 12 biscuits onto baking sheet, spacing the 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches apart. Sprinkle biscuits evenly with 2 TBS sugar and bake until lightly browned on tops and bottoms, about 15 minutes. (Do not turn off oven).

  3. Meanwhile, spread drained cherries in even layer in a 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish. Stir sugar, cornstarch and salt together in medium nonreactive saucepan. Whisk in reserved cherry juice and wine, and add cinnamon stickiest saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, whisking frequently, until mixture simmers and thickens, about 5 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick, stir in almond extract, and pour hot liquid over cherries in baking dish.

  4. Arrange hot biscuits in 3 rows of 4 over filling. Bake cobbler until filling is bubbling and biscuits are deep golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes. Serve.

Note: Use the smaller amount of sugar in the filling if you prefer your fruit desserts on the tart side and the larger amount if you like them sweet.

Serve with freshly whipped cream and a drizzle of Chambord, if you like!

Dessert